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Sunday, March 3, 2013

A Peek at the Creative Space of Jean Reidy

Jean Reidy is the author of picture books Too Purpley!, Too Pickley!, and Too Princessy!, the Colorado Book Award winner Light up the Night, and Time Out for Monsters! Her latest picture book, All Through My Town, publishes this week. Kirkus Reviews says "Richard Scarry has some competition" and School Library Journal says "This spirited picture book is as much fun to browse through as it is to read." All Through My Town has also been included on the Kids Indie Next List.

My
workspace is a sunny, small room--sometimes a veritable green house -- which
sits above the entryway in my house. That sunlight comes from a wall of huge
windows that open to my front yard and street, so I can see the comings and
goings of my cul-de-sac.

Then through the double doors and more windows on the opposite side, I have a
direct shot of my backyard. Lovely--especially in winter.

The
space was once a bonus room where we kept a desktop computer, reference books
and supplies–my kids took it over as their homework area. But two years ago,
when my youngest left for college, I de-cluttered it, bought some inexpensive, durable
shelving, an extra filing cabinet and created a space– albeit small–that was
all mine.

The
rest of my house is a flurry of color, pattern and family pictures–which I
love too. But for my office I wanted a
clean, composed, calm space. It's my attempt at keeping my mind uncluttered.
And sometimes it works.

Do you
see an interesting order here? Writing has slipped to fifth place on the list
which, after all the "business," often feels like tenth or eleventh
or twentieth. But I'm beginning to
change that up a bit.

When
my kids were young, before social media or even e-mail were big, I used to write
first thing in the morning. I've been trying, lately, to put writing before
everything else in my day–well, except for the coffee. When I do, the muse
sings a little louder. She's not crowded out with my inbox and other competing
distractions. The only other thing I'd consider putting first is praying. Both
praying and writing seem to start the day in a better and more fruitful way.

List three of your most favorite things in your workspace
and why they are meaningful.

1. My windows. I'm
not good at being holed up. I need a connection to the rest of the world. When
I was young I always did my homework at the kitchen table and not at a bedroom
desk. I needed to be tapped into the people and life around me. Now, when my
husband is home, I'll still work at the kitchen table to enjoy that connection.
During the rest of the week, when I'm alone again, the windows provide that. Plus,
I have some of the best artwork right there behind the glass.

2. My shelves and shelves of kids books. I gathered up many of my favorite children's books from
around the house and tried to squeeze them into my office. Then I tossed some cozy blankets on the floor, complete with a few friends, for young visitors who might stop in.

I'd love to add more bookshelves for the
rest of my kids' books, but I'm running out of space. I have
one remaining, narrow wall space that could hold either more shelves or more
filing cabinets. Tough decision. The filing cabinets might win. Because while I'd
love to corral every kids' book into my cozy little space, I also love knowing
that they have a grand and visible presence in most rooms of my house. My hope is that in just about any room, a children's book might have a chance of catching
a reader.

3. My Roget's Thesaurus. NERD
ALERT!I received it when I was young,
pre-middle school, as a Christmas gift. My oldest sister mentioned a thesaurus once
when she was doing a crossword puzzle and I thought "What is this amazing,
magical word book of which she speaks?" And I asked for one for Christmas.
I actually asked for a Thesaurus. I warned you--nerd! And Santa (I always knew
he was a literary type at heart) brought me the wonderful hardback that sits on
my desk.

Surprisingly, it's still my go-to reference.
I have other synonym books, but none can compare to my Roget's.

Do you have any rituals in your work habits? If so, describe
them.

Calling
my kids and having them make me laugh. I'm attracted to weird humor. And my kids
can really dish it out. My timing isn't always the best, though. For example,
I'll call and say, "Tim, what was that thing you said last week that made
me laugh?" And he'll be like, "Mom, I'm at work. Can I call you
later?" And I'll be like, "Come on. Come on. I think it was something
about cottage cheese." Anyway, you get the picture. I love laughing until
I cry. And I need doses daily. Then I attempt to translate that feeling into picture
books. It's my business way of justifying those silly calls.

What do you listen to while you work?

Nothing.
I like quiet. Don't get me wrong, I'm a music freak. But when I'm working, even
instrumental music bugs me. When I'm not working, I have fairly eclectic
tastes, but the tunes that rise to the top are those that I can sing VERY, VERY
LOUD when I cook and do other things. I'm a huge Beatles fan--mostly the
oldest stuff, reminiscent of the vinyl 45 with "I Wanna Hold Your
Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There" on the flip side. Music,
for me is like a little reward at the end of the day, when I'm folding laundry
or cooking--not writing.

What is your drink and/or snack of choice while you’re
working?

Yogurt,
coffee, tea, carrots, and hummus--pretty boring, right? I used to be addicted
to Wheat Thins. But then I regressed to Nilla Wafers. Must be something about
the whole writing for children thing. Wheat Thins were feeling way too sophisticated.

What keeps you focused while you’re working?

Actually, getting away from the computer is the
ticket. And that's a bit of a problem because my computer is my tool of choice,
most of the time . . . which I guess leads to our next question.

Do you write longhand, on a computer, or another way?

I like
to switch it up. When I write longhand it's usually on scrap paper. I
relate to that whole psychology of not wanting to get too precious, too early
with my writing. So scrap paper and pencil it is.

How do you develop your story ideas? Do you use an outline,
let the muse lead you, or another technique?

For picture
books, it's not so much an outline as a list, or in some cases a table. Tables
are great for rhyming picture books because they allow me to brainstorm words
under categories, play around with order and view text options side-by-side. I
also use tables to predict page turns and payoffs--those fundamental scene
change-ups that pull readers through a story. But even before that, the bare
bones of my picture book ideas are these growing lists of phrases, words, images, and dialog that flesh
out the original idea.

For
novels, I start with a list--scene ideas, character ideas, bits of dialogue. Then
I move into an outline. Then a more detailed outline. Then a draft. Then some
free writing in character. Then probably another draft. It's an evolving
process. I'll let you know if it works.

If you were forced to share your workspace but could share it
with anyone of your choosing, who would it be?

My
agent and editors. Then I could simply toss ideas their way and say "What
about this?" But most of all, because they are wonderful and wonderfully
fun people. I wish we all lived closer.

What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve heard or
received?

I've benefitted from so much great advice over
the years. And I'm forever indebted to the people who've shared it. But there is
one thing I like to keep in front of me, kind of my go-to quote, where I try to
land with all my kidlit writing. It is this simple phrase from editor Allyn
Johnston ". . . the true goal of all this work we do together: a child, a
story, and a deep and long-lasting connection between them." That, in my
mind, says it all.

15 comments:

Thanks, Jennifer. Thanks, Jean. I envy pb writers with a knack for "silly." I look forward to getting to know your books. I love the floor space in your office dedicated to reading -- an inspired idea!

Great interview, Jennifer!Jean, thanks so much for opening a window of your writing routine. I escially enjoyed reading about how you use tables to brainstorm ideas! And, was that a cat sleeping in the corner? Everyone needs a mascot:)

I've had to disable the anonymous commenting feature due to excessive spam. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Feel free to email me with any comments if you are a *real* reader of this blog. As always, I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and visit my blog.

I write books for children
and teens (and adults who are still connected to their inner kid). I have three
novels forthcoming from Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt/Macmillan. The first
is BOOK SCAVENGER, a contemporary mystery involving cipher-cracking,
book-hunting, and a search for treasure in the streets of San Francisco. Look
for it in 2015!